No Battery? No Problem. One Restaurant Offers 'Charging Plates'

It’s electricity à la mode. Diners are now offered a portable cell phone charger as part of the 15-course tasting menu served by Philadelphia restaurant Volvér, which is owned by chef Jose Garces. The charger is delivered on a small silver platter by wait staff between the sardine and live scallop course. The restaurant calls their tasting menu a “performance” and guests need to buy tickets in advance. Volvér’s website says that guests are welcome to take pictures of their meal and post to social media, but warns that using flash photography would be a faux pas. Bars and restaurants are finding more ways to accommodate guests whose batteries are drained over the course of a night out.